'I can relate to the patients' - the Sunderland born medical graduate now embarking on her career
A Sunderland-born medical graduate will take up a role in her home city this summer after a milestone ceremony.
Dr Laura Giles is among the first to graduate from Sunderland University's School of Medicine.
She was among an initial fifty students who started their courses in September 2019.
Five years, and much hard work later, they have received their medical degrees.
Dr Giles said: "We never thought we'd actually get here but we have."
"It was just a really nice ceremony", she continued, "to be around everyone and celebrate with my friends and family."
Although Dr Giles does not come from a medical background, she became interested in working for the NHS at a young age.
Alongside academic studies, her medical degree included a series of placements, including time working with teams at Sunderland Royal, which is the hospital where she was born.
Dr Giles believes that being raised in the community gives her vital insight into patients and the challenges they can face.
She told ITV Tyne Tees: "I grew up with family members being from here and I've been able to appreciate the health inequalities across the North East compared to other regions of the country."
Dr Giles added: "I can relate to the patients who are in hospital and their experience because I know a little bit more first-hand what it's like."
Sunderland University's School of Medicine was one of five new medical schools to receive government backing in 2018, as part of efforts to train more doctors for the health service.
A key aim is to attract students who are from the North East and from backgrounds where young people may not have considered a career in medicine.
According to the university, of those who graduated in July 2024:
41% are from the North East
48% are from under-represented backgrounds
55% are taking up roles in the North East
The Head of the School of Medicine, Professor Scott Wilkes, said he is proud of what has been achieved so far.
Prof Wilkes said: "We've managed to attract a lot of students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds: students who have the talent to succeed in this career but may not otherwise have had the opportunity. "
He continued: "A lot of our students do come from the North East. Again, that's a lot of students who wouldn't necessarily have selected to study medicine."
The course is being supported by a number of North East NHS organisations, including South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
Its Executive Medical Director, Dr Shaz Wahid, delivered lectures and provided training to students on the wards.
Dr Wahid explained that interaction with patients is also a key part of the learning process.
"Having an opportunity to see medical students allows them to get their views across and hopefully improves the learning experience, so that when the medical students quality and are delivering care ... they always put patients at the heart."
Dr Wahid added: "Patients are our trainers. They are our teachers."
Dr Laura Giles is now looking forward to embarking on two years of 'on-the-job' training, with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
Eventually, Dr Giles is keen to specialise in what is known as maxillofacial surgery; in other words, procedures involving the face, neck, head and jaw.
Meanwhile, her' younger sister Lucy is following in her footsteps and is part-way through her studies at Sunderland's School of Medicine.
The hope is that Dr Giles and the other Sunderland medical graduates will now inspire other young people to consider the same path.